Center Moriches scored seven in the sixth to rally for a 10-7 win over Seton Catholic Central in the Class B state final June 9 at NYSEG Stadium.
Andrew Legare, alegare@stargazette.com | @SGAndrewLegare

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Mason Vaughan connects for a hit in the seventh inning for Seton Catholic Central on June 9 in the Class B state final at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton.(Photo: Andrew Legare / Staff photo)Buy Photo

For the second time in three months, a Binghamton Seton Catholic Central state championship dream came up agonizingly short in the Saints' home city.

In March it was the boys basketball team that went cold at the wrong time in a loss to Mekeel Christian Academy in the Class B championship game at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. On Saturday, it was a seven-run inning by Center Moriches that stunned the Saints down the road at NYSEG Stadium.

That inning where everything went right on one side and everything wrong on the other turned a 7-3 deficit for the Red Devils into a three-run lead that held up for a 10-7 victory in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B final.

Former Binghamton and New York Mets pitcher Bull Pulsipher poses with his son, Center Moriches player Liam Pulsipher, on the pitcher's mound after Center Moriches beat Seton Catholic Central, 10-7, in the Class B state final June 9 at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. Andrew Legare / Staff photo

Seton Catholic Central coach Nick Anderson accepts the runner-up award after a 10-7 loss to Center Moriches on June 9 in the Class B state final at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. Andrew Legare / Staff photo

Nate Buley of Fort Plain slides safely into third base as Darren Shaver of Deposit/Hancock tries to make the tag June 9 during the Class D state final at Binghamton University. Andrew Legare / Staff photo

Horseheads shortstop Trey Princiotto throws to first after forcing out Michael Grisanti at second June 8 during Massapequa's 5-1 win in a Class AA state semifinal at Union-Endicott. Andrew Legare / Staff photo

Brayden O'Connell slides safely into second for Horseheads as Philip Cottone waits for the throw June 8 during the Blue Raiders' 5-1 loss to Massapequa in a Class AA state semifinal at Union-Endicott. Andrew Legare / Staff photo

Caleb Walker of Deposit/Hancock eases into second base as Brocton second baseman Derrick Burns waits for the throw June 8 during a Class D state semifinal at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. Andrew Legare / Staff photo

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"We had one bad inning of baseball dictate our season here," Seton coach Nick Anderson said. "We haven’t given up seven runs in a game all year. We gave up seven runs in an inning. It’s just one of those things where the wheels kind of started to fall off and it just kept going bad and bad."

Seton finished with a 17-6 record that included a third consecutive Section 4 crown.

Peter Hartrick was among the basketball players on the team who felt the sting of losing in a state final again.

"It’s definitely going hurt," Hartrick said. "We were so close, obviously. We had a lead. But that’s just baseball. You can’t control that. At the end of the day, they got some hits and they did their job, and we just let it slip."

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Seton Catholic Central coach Nick Anderson accepts the runner-up award after a 10-7 loss to Center Moriches on June 9 in the Class B state final at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton.(Photo: Andrew Legare / Staff photo)

No. 9 hitter Dylan Bryant's two-run single brought Section 11 champion Center Moriches (23-4) within 7-5 in the sixth after back-to-back singles from Brad Sakellarides and Corey Stengel led off the inning.

Hartrick took over on the mound for Saints starter Leo Gallagher and walked two straight batters to load the bases, which led Anderson to bring in Tanner Sinicki to pitch.

Liam Pulsipher, son of former Binghamton and New York Mets pitcher Bill Pulsipher, drove in the third run of the inning with a groundout. An infield error tied the score at 7-7. Robert Capozzi followed with a two-run single on a hard shot just past the first baseman. A third run scored on the play when the throw from right field went to the backstop.

"Their seven, eight, nine hitters did a great job of getting on and getting things going for them," Anderson said."We were hoping we were able to get through that inning mostly clean. When they got on, you could tell Leo was starting to get a little tired. Just figured top of the lineup, bring in another option and see what happens.

"Obviously the walks hurt us there, then we just kind of imploded. We made mistakes. We had that one through that went to the backstop they scored three runs on because we just weren’t doing things we were supposed to be doing. Not backing up in the right spots, not making the right throws. It doesn’t dictate how we played all year. Just one bad situation that just kind of kept escalating."

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Former Binghamton and New York Mets pitcher Bull Pulsipher poses with his son, Center Moriches player Liam Pulsipher, on the pitcher's mound after Center Moriches beat Seton Catholic Central, 10-7, in the Class B state final June 9 at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton.(Photo: Andrew Legare / Staff photo)

Finbarr Huff and Mason Vaughan had two-out singles for Seton in the seventh before Center Moriches reliever Dave Franchi ended the game with a strikeout.

"We’re always fighting no matter what the score is, no matter what the situation is," Hartrick said. "I think that shows what kind of people we all are. I think these guys will continue to do that throughout life and I know I will too."

Gallagher ended up giving up six runs on nine hits in five-plus innings. He struck out seven and walked three.

"I thought he competed and battled his butt off all day," Anderson said. "That’s the way he’s going to be. He just started to run out of gas. We were hoping obviously we would have some other options that would get themselves in there and give us a shot. Obviously things didn’t go our way."

Seton scored three runs in the opening inning. The first scored on a throwing error off a bunt from Cody Malyszek. Huff added a sacrifice fly and Vaughan's RBI single made it 3-0.

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Leo Gallagher delivers a pitch for Seton Catholic Central in a 10-7 loss to Center Moriches on June 9 in the Class B state championship game at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton.(Photo: Andrew Legare / Staff photo)

Center Moriches got within 3-2 on a run-scoring single from Stengel in the fourth. The Saints responded with four runs in the fifth. Gallagher delivered an RBI single, Zach Pruden scored on a throwing error from the catcher back to the pitcher, Gallagher came home on a passed ball, and Fritz Huff knocked in the final run with a double.

Pruden, Gallagher and Vaughan had two hits each for the Saints.

"It really stinks to know you were six outs away from having a state title, but everything happens for a reason," Anderson said. "They were a very good baseball team. I give them a ton of credit. We punched them in the mouth early, they battled back and they kept continuing to battle back right until the end."

After the game, Anderson huddled with his players and told them how grateful he was to have the chance to coach them, reminding them of what they've done for the school and the community and encouraging them to keep their heads high.

While losing two state finals so close together is tough to swallow for the dual-sport players, Anderson said the accomplishment of getting so far should not be overlooked.

"It’s impressive that they’ve had the opportunity to play in two state final fours," he said. "It’s obviously unfortunate that they lost both times, but to be able to say that you’ve played in that. I was just telling those guys, I was on some really good high school baseball teams and never even made it to the final four. To experience that, even though things didn’t go our way, I think it’s something they’ll never forget."

Said Hartrick: "We’ve got a good group of seniors who were also on that basketball team now in this game. I think that shows that we’re competitors and we’re good athletes. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re going to give 110 percent. Like I said before, those are my brothers and I’d die for them. I’d do anything for them."